NGKUR - Interview questions

[anonymouseliza]

I've got an interview for Wednesday.  It's essentially for an internal transfer, but it was openly posted and there is at least one other internal applicant for the position.  Basically what I do now, except the focus is different (our specialty is in one area, that department specializes in another, but both are unique in having specialities at all).

So, in order to remain calm and level-headed about this, can you give me some interview questions to practice in the car with my husband?  I have a standard list, but I'd love to get some questions from outside my head to practice better.

I really, really, really, really, really need this transfer to happen for a bunch of reasons, both professional and personal.  Any help/tips/advice you can give would be great, because I'm trying not to freak out.

[apunicorn]

Hey anonymouseliza, I work in software that hires based mostly on a technical interview (similar to a final exam - brutal) but I've switched jobs a lot and have heard many interview questions, so hopefully I can be helpful.

1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
2. How do you resolve conflict? Give an example.
3. What are your weaknesses? (I HATE this one)
4. What are your biggest work accomplishments in the past year?

Wishing you the best of luck on Wednesday!!

[juliayadda]

Mar 2, 2015 18:01:16 GMT -5 anonymouseliza said:

I've got an interview for Wednesday.  It's essentially for an internal transfer, but it was openly posted and there is at least one other internal applicant for the position.  Basically what I do now, except the focus is different (our specialty is in one area, that department specializes in another, but both are unique in having specialities at all).

So, in order to remain calm and level-headed about this, can you give me some interview questions to practice in the car with my husband?  I have a standard list, but I'd love to get some questions from outside my head to practice better.

I really, really, really, really, really need this transfer to happen for a bunch of reasons, both professional and personal.  Any help/tips/advice you can give would be great, because I'm trying not to freak out.

Does your organization have sample questions? Which industry are you in?

Standard across industry questions I have had:

Think of a situation where you made a mistake, what did you do to correct it?

Think of a situation where you were working with someone you didn't like, how did you get through it?

Think of a situation where you went above and beyond your position. How did you do this, and what benefit did it have to your organization?

[anonymouseliza]

The weakness question I always ask is meaner - 'What have you been criticized for in the past?' I follow that up with 'How would your supervise describe you? What about your colleagues?'

I hate the question about weakness because it's a) expected (and important) and b) cliche. I mean, I HATE (as an interviewer) getting back what people think you want to hear, which is "I'm SUCH a work-a-holic! tee hee!" I prefer to have a thoughtful answer and when you ask the question in a different way, it takes people aback and you get a better answer. I wish people were more open to being honest in their interviews, because it's so much about fit and if all I get is a pat answer, I don't think you'll fit well with me.

That said, on the other side, I want the job, so I want to say whatever I can to get it.

[anonymouseliza]

Mar 2, 2015 18:10:36 GMT -5 juliayadda said:

Mar 2, 2015 18:01:16 GMT -5 anonymouseliza said:

I've got an interview for Wednesday.  It's essentially for an internal transfer, but it was openly posted and there is at least one other internal applicant for the position.  Basically what I do now, except the focus is different (our specialty is in one area, that department specializes in another, but both are unique in having specialities at all).

So, in order to remain calm and level-headed about this, can you give me some interview questions to practice in the car with my husband?  I have a standard list, but I'd love to get some questions from outside my head to practice better.

I really, really, really, really, really need this transfer to happen for a bunch of reasons, both professional and personal.  Any help/tips/advice you can give would be great, because I'm trying not to freak out.

Does your organization have sample questions? Which industry are you in?

Standard across industry questions I have had:

Think of a situation where you made a mistake, what did you do to correct it?

Think of a situation where you were working with someone you didn't like, how did you get through it?

Think of a situation where you went above and beyond your position. How did you do this, and what benefit did it have to your organization?

Department business administration.  I pay the bills and hire people for departments, essentially; though both my current departments and the new one involve high levels of cash handling and additional journals.  No industry standards, or even standards across the division, from my experience.  Hell, my interview for this job discussed dogs much  more than business processes or experiences. 

I am afraid I'm going to stumble over why I want to leave my current position (or whatever variant of that) because there are some strong interpersonal reasons that would be terrible to mention.  Definitely need to practice that until I'm comfortable with my answer, which focuses on professional growth (and is true, just not the primary motivator).

[NatalieDavid]

I've always been taught to change your thinking from an interview into a conversation. Make sure you ask the interviewer questions about their favorite part of their job and what their normal day is like. It relieves a lot of the pressure and open the table up for a more friendly experience. Good luck!

[apunicorn]

I always have trouble with the "why I want to leave" question because for me it always comes down to more money at the new place, and that's obviously a terrible thing to say during an interview. So I've gotten very good at discussing how much professional growth is important, and things about how great the team seems. Basically I just cling to whatever the new job is doing differently than mine and spin it off as the most important thing in the world to me.

[anonymouseliza]

I always ask (during my turn) about the typical day or standard environment. And I ask the person who supervises the position what they think is necessary to be successful in the position (then spin it back around to how great I am at ordering chocolate souflees! what a coincidence! or whatever) and how they would describe their leadership style.

[apunicorn]

I guess just another thing I'd mention is that from my experience (and it may be drastically different in your company) when an applicant is interviewed internally, the interview is MUCH more lax and casual. I've switched positions within the same company twice (this was two different companies) and both times the interview for this was certainly more friendly, relaxed, and shorter. Sure, they asked the necessary questions but in both cases they seemed to have the idea that since I was already in the company, the "culture fit" part was all set and done and the only thing they needed to make sure of was my skills for the specific position.

You got this!!

[sister13]

Not so much a question, but you need to nail your 90 second or so summary/elevator pitch of your past career and experience. This will cover the standard "tell us a little bit about your background" question. I always feel annoyed when people just repeat a listing of jobs that are clearly right there on their resume because I can SEE all that, I want to hear about the transitions, try to explain things that may not be on the resume, etc.

Otherwise, I usually try to elicit specific examples from people and ask about specific projects they have worked on, or how they approach a new project. I am usually more interested in how they think through problems and see if it will likely be a good fit. I would say you should be prepared with some ideas that you might bring to the new position.

Good luck!!

[nicknack]

I don't have any questions that haven't already been mentioned, but I watched this video before my last interview and I killed it. Good luck!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc

ETA: Video link... Embed wasn't working for me.

[cnf2013]

Mar 2, 2015 18:35:15 GMT -5 anonymouseliza said:

I always ask (during my turn) about the typical day or standard environment. And I ask the person who supervises the position what they think is necessary to be successful in the position (then spin it back around to how great I am at ordering chocolate souflees! what a coincidence! or whatever) and how they would describe their leadership style.

A great way to spin this question is to ask what kind of culture they foster in their work place or department. It usually makes the interviewer have to think for a minute and takes that seemingly simple question up a notch.